Tired Nippon-Ham manager Shinjo murmurs, "Even on days like this, we're a team that can win..." Seven hours of travel due to trouble ends in a quick walk-off loss | Pacific League

球場に到着し、グラウンドに姿を現した新庄監督（カメラ・馬場　秀則）

Pacific League: Orix 4x-2 Nippon-Ham (1st Kyocera Dome Osaka)

After two flight delays and rerouting, Nippon-Ham Fighters finally played their game against Orix (Kyocera Dome) at 6:16 PM, 16 minutes later than scheduled, but suffered a come-from-behind, walk walk-off loss. After a roughly seven-hour journey from New Chitose Airport, the team arrived at Kyocera Dome at 5 PM, three hours later than originally planned. Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (53) showed his originality in his “management,” announcing the starting starting line-up on Instagram while the players were traveling and ordering them to warm up at the airport. However, the team ran out of steam in the ninth inning, and fell just one game behind the league leader, Softbank.

The end of a tumultuous day came in an instant. With the score at 2-0 in the ninth inning, starter Takashi Kato gave up a run, and with one out and runners on second and third, Tonmiya hit a three-run walk-off off home run to turn the game around. “It’s a soft pitch because all the balls are hit,” he said. The left-handed pitcher, who had avoided the “ordeal” by arriving the day before, fought hard but finally ran out of steam at the very end.

For the team, it was a series of hardships just getting to Osaka. The game was a travel game from Hokkaido. At 9:51 a.m., the airline announced that the departure time would be changed due to an inability to arrange a flight, and the team’s scheduled flight from New Chitose Airport to Itami Airport would be delayed by four hours and 20 minutes. The players showed up at New Chitose Airport on time for their original departure, but waited in the lobby. This was the beginning of a long day.

The staff frantically considered alternative means of transportation, and at 10:45 a.m., they decided to take a rescheduled flight to Osaka via Haneda Airport. While some of the players were worried that the game might be canceled, they boarded the plane to Haneda Airport at noon. However, the ordeal continued. After arriving at Haneda Airport, their connecting flight was delayed. They were left waiting for an hour, and then departed again 40 minutes late.

It was manager Shinjo, who was traveling on a separate flight, who stepped in at the last moment. Just five minutes after the team left Haneda Airport, he made the unusual announcement starting line-up on Instagram, writing, “We won’t have time to practice after we arrive, so please get the starting line-up players moving at the airport.” In a surprise move typical of a manager, he encouraged his players to prepare in advance, saying, “Their mentality is different.”

The team arrived at Itami Airport at 3:45 PM. After experiencing road congestion, they arrived at Kyocera Dome at 5 PM, three hours later than scheduled. The team’s pre-game practice, which usually lasts about an hour and a half, was canceled, and batting practice was also abandoned. Ishii, who hit the opening solo home run, lamented, “This is the first time we’ve played a game without batting practice. I was just afraid of getting injured.” They did a minimal warm-up, and practice lasted just 30 minutes. They didn’t have time to eat, so they ate a banana on the bench to replenish their energy. The start of the game was rescheduled to 6:15 PM, with play being called at 6:16 PM.

After overcoming a number of troubles win and almost turning the tables walk-off on the losing side, Shinjo divulged after the two-and-a-half-hour game, “We wanted to be a team that could win even on a day like this.” With back-to-back losses, the game gap with the top team has widened to one. Shinjo Ham’s August started out as a trying month. （Shinjo Ham’s August started out as a trial for the team.)

A hectic day for Nippon-Ham Fighters

9:51 a.m.: All Nippon Airways announced that it would change the departure time from 11:10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. because it was unable to arrange a flight.

▽Around 10:20 a.m., the nine members gathered at New Chitose Airport and waited in the lobby.

▽Around 45 minutes later, a flight transfer from New Chitose to Haneda to Itami was successfully arranged.

▽ 12:00 PM Departure from New Chitose Airport

▽ 1:40 PM Arrival at Haneda Airport

▽ 2:40 p.m. The connecting flight was also delayed by 40 minutes, and the flight departed from Haneda Airport.

▽ 45 minutes into the game, manager Shinjo announced starting line-up on Instagram

▽3:45 PM Arrived at Itami Airport. Ito, Takashi Kato, Verhagen, and Fushimi, who had traveled ahead of the team flight, began warming up at Kyocera D.

▽4:00 PM Travel to Kyocera D by team bus

▽ 5:00 PM After some road congestion, we arrived at Kyocera D

▽ 5 minutes into the game, players start warming up individually

▽10 minutes later, manager Shinjo appeared on ground. The stadium announced that the start of the game would be delayed by 15 minutes.

▽ 40 minutes later, the players return to the locker room

▽6:16 PM Game start

◆ Pacific League Agreement Regarding Delays in Arrival at Game Sites (Excerpt)

– If transportation is significantly delayed and the team is unable to arrive at its destination station or airport by the scheduled time, we will make every effort to proceed with the match, even if it means delaying the scheduled start time.

・Any changes to the scheduled start time of a match will be made by 7:30 p.m. (rest omitted)

– There shall be at least 40 minutes of preparation time between the team’s arrival at the stadium and the start of the game.

◆ Pacific League League Agreement Regarding Travel on the Day of the Game (Excerpt) The transportation to be used for travel on the day of the game will be selected by the team in question on a case-by-case basis, either by Shinkansen or airplane. (Omitted) The selected transportation must be one that will allow arrival at the destination station or airport no later than four hours before the scheduled start time of the game.